Electrosurgical procedures for humans and animals are well established in the medical and dental arts. The typical procedure involves generating a high frequency current, typically of the order of 2-4 MHz with a maximum output power of typically 50-150 Watts, and applying the current by way of an electrode to human or animal tissue. Different types of currents can be employed for different procedures. For example, fully rectified, fully filtered currents can be used for cutting tissue, fully rectified, non-filtered currents can be used for cutting with coagulation, partially rectified current can be used for hemostasis, and spark gap currents can be used for fulguration and dessication techniques. Such equipment is available from many suppliers. Various electrodes configurations are also available; for example, metal needles for making incisions, wire loops, round or diamond shaped, for planing and contouring tissue, balls for coagulation and hemostasis, and scalpel shapes for incisions and excision of tissue. In all these known electrode configurations, the working end is electrically conductive, usually metallic, and is fully exposed, so that all sides of the electrode working end are capable of transmitting the high frequency currents to the tissue.
Humans and animals can suffer from a condition commonly known as ingrown nail (hypertrophy of the unguia labia). The nail plate is rooted under a tissue fold at the digit proximal end and grows over a nail bed or matrix toward the distal end under lateral tissue folds in the so-called lateral grooves. The healthy nail should be rooted only at the proximal end. Ingrown nail results when the nail roots under the lateral folds. This results in laceration of the adjacent tissue, with possible pain, swelling and infection. The known surgical procedure, called matrisectomy, is to excise the unwanted or extraneous root. Merely removing the nail plate section adjacent the extraneous root will not prevent recurrence of the symptions; the entire extraneous root must be excised and precautions taken to prevent re-rooting of the nail along the lateral grooves. The nail lateral edges or margin fit snugly into the groove and normally there is a little less than 1 mm of space between the nail margin and the nail lateral wall or lip. Hence, the normal surgical procedure is to cut along the tissue edges bordering the nail groove in order to expose and excise the extraneous root.